Band Plays On

Posted Jan 24, 2008 by Jason Odra

Updated Jan 24, 2008 at 08:33 PM

News Channel 8 Photo by MICHAEL EGGER

It looks and sounds more like a pep rally than the tee-off to a Republican presidential debate at Florida Atlantic University’s Boca Raton campus.

The FAU marching band is playing old-time favorites behind MSNBC’s makeshift Hardball with Chris Mathews’ set. As Mathews interviews Florida Gov. Charlie Crist about the state’s role in presidential politics, the band breaks into action. Students cheering for their favorite candidates punctuate the lively scene.

Although the mood outside the debate hall is light and lively, campus security is tight. Boca Raton police are patrolling with canine units, and each entrance to the debate hall is outfitted with metal detectors.

Students are actively involved in playing host to the debate. Every time we walk through another door, a student is holding it open for us with a smile. One of the volunteers here tells me so many kids wanted to help out with the debate, there was actually a waiting list for volunteers.

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Crist Remains Mum On Candidates

Posted Jan 24, 2008 by Jason Odra

Updated Jan 24, 2008 at 08:22 PM

The state is so divided about picking a front-runner in Tuesday’s Republican primary, even Gov. Charlie Crist hasn’t made up his mind.

The governor told me tonight he’s still undecided about who is getting his much-courted support. And if he’s leaning one way or another, he isn’t showing his hand.

Crist admitted the campaigns are wooing him pretty intensely and says he may not know who will get his vote until Tuesday morning. Crist says Republicans are lucky there are so many viable candidates in the hunt.

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Republicans To Debate Tonight In Boca Raton

Posted Jan 24, 2008 by Laura Fiorilli

Updated Jan 24, 2008 at 04:09 PM

Students helped set up for Thursday’s Republican debate at Florida Atlantic University in Boca Raton. They took their seats on the debate stage Thursday, helping crews set lighting for the debate that will air on MSNBC and NBC affiliates.

The candidates will be trying to resonate in the country’s fourth largest state, where registered voters will hold their presidential preference primary Tuesday.

The most recent Mason-Dixon poll shows Arizona Sen. John McCain with 26 percent of the vote, slightly behind former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney at 30 percent. Romney’s stronghold in the state is the Tampa Bay area, according to the poll. Former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani trails McCain by 8 percentage points, with 18 percent of the vote. Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee is at 13 percent.

According to the poll, the economy, terrorism and immigration rank as the most important issues to registered Republicans in Florida. The candidates will be working hard to connect with voters on those issues tonight.

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Giuliani Leads with Tough Image

Posted Dec 5, 2007 by By Krista Klaus

Updated Dec 5, 2007 at 08:48 AM

    As opinion polls continue to reveal Americans fear another terror strike, it becomes clear why Rudy Giuliani is maintaining front-runner status for the Republican nomination in 2008. And his campaign clearly seeks to capitalize on his image as a leader in a time of crisis.

    “Giuliani has the reputation of when the wost catastrpophe in the world hits the United States, that he can manage it,” said Dr. Susan MacManus, Newschannel 8 political analyst and USF political science professor.

    And you can expect the former New York City mayor’s campaign to run on that image from now until the general election.

    “As long as you have that nagging fear of another terror attack, then Giuliani’s going to grabe people’s atteniton as a possible presidential choice,” MacManus said.

 

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Huckabee Hits the Big Time

Posted Dec 5, 2007 by By Krista Klaus

Updated Dec 5, 2007 at 08:47 AM

    An exclusive Newschannel Eight poll conducted by Survey USA shows Republicans jockeying for position after last week’s CNN/YouTube debate.

    The poll shows former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee bumping off former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney for the number two position in Florida. Huckabee climbed 4 percentage points among Florida Republicans in the week since the debate.

    “A lot of the movement for Huckabee are the people who used to like Romney. They’re social conservatives who really find that Huckabee’s more to their liking,” said Dr. Susan MacManus, Newschannel 8 political analyst.

    The Survey USA poll mirrors a USA Today/Gallup poll that also shows Huckabee gaining ground. With more than half of those polled by USA Today still unfamiliar with Huckabee, MacManus said his momentum can’t be ignored.

    “Huckabee’s real strength has been his ability to communicate on television and be quickwitted and funny in a debate scene,” MacManus said.

      And as the primary season heats up, it’s hard to miss the parallels between Huckabee, a former Arkansas governor, and one of his predecessors, Pres. Bill Clinton. It was back in 1991 that Clinton, a little-known governor, emerged from the pack of Democrats with a strong showing in the early primaries.

    Now 16 years later comes Huckabee, a smooth talker with strong convictions, born in Hope, Ark., the same birthplace as Clinton.

    The USA Today poll also shows the frontrunners for both parties losing some ground in recent weeks. Former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani has lost 9 polling points in the past month, while Sen. Hillary Clinton has lost 11 points. Both still hold wide leads in the early-going.

    Florida’s presidential preference primary is Jan. 29, 2008.

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